Through The Looking Glass
by justanoutlaw
Summary: When Emma doesn't recognize the soulmate shown to her, she gives up hope. A year later, she finds herself in a prison cell beside her.


**trueloveismagic prompted: 1. soulmates au Maiden Swan :)**

**I kinda got carried away with this, haha. A canon divergence of both "The New Neverland" and "There's No Place Like Home".**

Emma lingered in the doorway of the convent. She felt stupid. They had just gotten back from Neverland and Pan's shadow was defeated. This was hardly the time to be thinking about her love life, but there was this nagging feeling in the back of her head. She didn't know what she should do. Neal had asked her out on a date and Killian was clearly also willing to pursue her. She wasn't used to so many men being interested in an actual long term relationship with her.

She had overheard Tink and Regina in Neverland. Regina had been lead to her soulmate, but she had been too scared to go in and make a move. Emma didn't want to be scared, she just wanted to know. Blue was being a bit better with the use of pixie dust and Emma knew she wouldn't be putting Tink at risk…so she had come to get answers.

Walking into the convent, she found Tink unpacking her few items. She looked up and grinned. "Hello, Emma."

"Hey." Emma bounced on the back of her heels, looking around the room. "So…you're gonna live here now?"

"For now, just until I can get my own place." She paused. "Something tells me you're not here to discuss living arrangements."

"It's just…maybe this is silly…I just heard what you did for Regina back in the Enchanted Forest."

Tink frowned. "I've tried to search for him here, but I never saw his face, just his tattoo."

"I understand and while I'd like to help Regina…God, I sound so selfish right now."

A slow smile formed across Tink's face. "You want to know who your soulmate is as well?"

Emma slowly nodded. "Well…yes. I'm trying to sort everything out in my head and maybe this would help."

"Knowing who your soulmate is could add even more pressure. Just because your soulmates, doesn't mean true love you know."

"I know, I know. I think I just need to try."

Tink's smile widened. "Well, I do think it'd be a bit awkward if we flew around Storybrooke together. The guys might suspect something was up. However, there is another way."

She lead Emma out of her room and over to where they were harvesting the new pixie dust that had been found in the mines. She grabbed a mirror from the shelves and then sprinkled some pixie dust on it.

"When you look into this, your reflection will instead be your soulmate."

Emma took the mirror from her, shutting her eyes. This was it, the person she was meant to be with. All of the confusing thoughts in her head, the words both men had been slinging at her, hopefully it'd all make sense as soon as she looked into the mirror.

Her eyes flickered open and she watched as the dust swarmed around. Things were a bit cloudy at first, until she saw a picture of a woman. She had tan skin and thick dark locks, with matching eyes. This wasn't Killian or Neal. More importantly, Emma had never seen her before. She frowned and Tink moved beside her.

"Well, who is that?"

"I have no idea. I've never seen her around here before."

"Well, some people are stuck in different realms…perhaps…"

"Perhaps this was all for nothing." She saw the disappointed look on Tink's face. "It's not your fault, Tinkerbell, I promise. Obviously my happy ending isn't a man and that's okay. It's just obviously not with anyone but my family."

Emma handed Tink the mirror back and left the convent. Her own disappointment was soon distracted by the realization that her son wasn't really her son. Within hours, she'd be driving over the town line, forgetting the life she had known for the past 11 years. It wouldn't be for another year that she'd remember her real life.

She told Killian it was like waking up from a really good dream and she was right. She could pretend like she was happy back then, with her son, a boyfriend that treated her great. Then, one knock on the door from a pirate later and she realized that none of the memories she had of raising Henry were real and her boyfriend was a flying monkey, sent to kill her.

What she would give to go back to just a few weeks before then, at least that was what she thought. After the curse broke and her little brother was born, she found herself being pulled through a portal with Killian. She was brought to the past, with her mother on the run and her father masquerading as a prince. A few wrong moves later and she ended up in Regina's prison.

The guard tossed her into her cell and she fell to the floor with a thud. She groaned and slowly sat up, suddenly hearing a feminine voice from the cell next to her.

"Are you alright?"

Emma brushed herself off, shaking her head. "Yeah, I think so, thanks." She tried to peer through the bars to see the person on the other side better, but she was hard to make out. "I'm…Leia," she reminded herself to use her alias as she held onto the bars for support to stand.

"I wish I could say it's nice to meet you," the woman replied, sounding bitter.

Emma could still feel the pain running through her body, which made her voice ragged as she gave a weak chuckle. "Given the circumstances, I get it."

As she looked closer through the bars, she tilted her head. That face, she had seen it before somewhere. Perhaps on the streets of Storybrooke in passing? She was still getting to know everyone.

"You hungry?" Emma asked, having a feeling that the past version of Regina wasn't the type to feed her prisoners. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a roll. "I snuck it off a tray on my way down here."

The woman rose to her feet and walked closer to her. She accepted the roll through the metal bars and looked at Emma gratefully. It was then that she could see her eyes and Emma was brought back to the real reason she remembered her.

She was the girl in the mirror, her…her soulmate.

It couldn't be. She had given up on finding her, there were more important things to worry about. Yet, there she was, right in front of her. Her heart summersaulted and she swallowed.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Emma had to think on her feet. "I…I saw you earlier. I wanted to help…"

"It's fine. If you had done it, you would've ended up in here sooner."

"What…what did she put you in here for?"

"I knew where Snow White was hiding, but I refused to tell the queen."

"You gave up your freedom to save Snow White?" She asked in awe.

"I believe that she is innocent. I won't let Regina win, not if I can help it."

Emma felt herself slowly starting to smile. This woman believed in her mother, she was protecting her. It was a selfless act and it would be one that would be one of the reasons why Emma came into existence…if she didn't screw everything up in the meantime.

It didn't take Emma long to hatch an escape plan. She used the wooden spoons to get the lock opened (all about the tumblers) and had gotten out. She had urged her to go on without her, but Emma knew she couldn't do that. She couldn't lose her soulmate, not after all this time. The woman spoke of a family, but she didn't know what that meant.

Hook called her stupid for disrupting the timeline, but she didn't care. She had saved the woman's life and that was what mattered. Maybe it was selfish, but maybe they could try.

The woman was smart and she soon realized that they were from the future. After they managed to save Snow from execution and making sure that she started to fall in love with David, the three of them were alone. Their glamour spells were fading and she could see them for who they really were.

"You saved me," She said to Emma once Hook had walked away. "You know this could ruin everything, so…why?"

"You're an innocent. You were willing to give your life for Snow White." She gnawed on her lower lip. "And maybe another part of it was selfish."

"Hmm?"

"I...and this will sound silly, but I once spoke to a fairy. I asked her to show me my soulmate and she did….it was you."

The woman's mouth opened and then closed. "What's your name? Your real name?"

"I don't know if it's safe…"

"I already know what you really look like."

"Emma."

"Emma, you saved my life and for that, I'm forever indebted to you. However, I have a family to get back to…a child..." Emma could see the look of doubt in the woman's eye, almost as if she wondered if she was making the right choice with her next words. "A husband."

"Oh."

"I don't know, maybe the mirror was wrong, maybe you have me confused with someone…"

"Maybe. Look, um…just be careful. Regina will be on the lookout for you." She reached into her pocket and pulled out some other jewels she had stolen from her father's carriage without him noticing. "Trade these for a passage out of here."

"Thank you, Emma."

As she started to walk away, Emma called after her. "Hey!"

She turned around. "Yes?"

"What's your name?"

The woman softly smiled. "Marian."

Emma watched her walk away, her heart sinking in her chest. She tried to remind herself that if they were truly meant to be, they'd find a way. After all, Regina and Robin had figured it out, after all those years. Even if it didn't work out, she'd be okay. She knew what she was going home to: her family. She would never let her parents go again.

Soon, she and Hook were back in Storybrooke. After reuniting with her parents, Emma began to look through the book to see what had changed. It mostly just seemed to be the origins of her parents' relationships, until she reached the story of Robin and Maid Marian. The pictures were a bit familiar and it slowly began to dawn on her.

Marian…Maid Marian.

Oh, God. What had she done?

However, when she turned around to look, Robin and Regina were standing close together, flirting more than ever. Emma's eyes drifted back to the book and she flipped forward a few pages, finding the unique end to the tale of Robin Hood. While he and Marian had agreed to raise their son together, Marian had revealed to him that she had feelings for women. It had been a hard adjustment, but they had gotten there in time.

"Emma?"

Emma's head snapped up and she turned around to find Marian standing there. Rather than the cloak and rundown dress from the Enchanted Forest, she was wearing a light yellow dress, her hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Marian," she whispered.

"It's you, the one that saved me all those years ago."

Emma smiled. "I did."

"Things were a lot different back then…"

"I see they've changed, though," she interrupted, gesturing to the book.

"Would you like a drink?"

"I'd love that."


End file.
